Research group

Maritime Decarbonisation

A cargo ship leaving a harbour

The Maritime Decarbonisation SIG drives eco-friendly shipping through collaboration and innovation, addressing environmental impact, regulations, and economic opportunities, in response to global challenges.

About

The Maritime Decarbonisation SIG is at the forefront of tackling the critical issue of maritime decarbonisation. This SIG recognises the profound importance of its mission for several reasons:

  • it strives to address the substantial environmental impact of the maritime industry. As one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, the industry's carbon footprint poses a severe threat to our planet. 
  • it is a proactive response to this environmental challenge, aiming to reduce emissions and promote a more sustainable future, including amid initiatives to develop global sectoral targets.
  • it will also contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Furthermore, the SIG is committed to ensuring that the maritime sector meets its regulatory commitments, especially in the context of emerging technologies such as autonomous vessels. Stringent regulations are necessary to enhance the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of maritime transportation. By focusing on these commitments, the SIG plays a pivotal role in promoting responsible industry practices.

While some may perceive maritime decarbonisation initiatives as costly, the SIG sees them as economic opportunities. Transitioning to greener shipping practices can lead to cost savings and new business prospects. By driving innovation and fostering sustainable solutions, the SIG helps industry players prosper in a changing global market.

International collaboration is another pillar of the SIG's efforts. The maritime sector operates on a global scale, and it is essential for stakeholders to work together to achieve meaningful results. International collaboration facilitates the sharing of best practices, technological innovations, and policy frameworks that can accelerate the industry's transformation in response to global challenges.

Through a multi-faceted approach that encompasses environmental responsibility, regulatory compliance, economic benefits, international collaboration, and alignment with national commitments, this SIG is driving positive change and shaping a more sustainable and prosperous future for all. 

To find out more about the Maritime Decarbonisation Special Interest Group and what we do, get in touch with group champion Seyedvahid Vakili, and Panos Manias.

Join the SMMI Community to sign up to this group, and any others of interest to you.

People, projects and publications

People

Dr Seyedvahid Vakili

Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Sustainable shipping;
  • Net zero emissions;
  • Alternative fuels for (maritime) net zero emissions;
Connect with Seyedvahid

Dr Sheida Afshan PhD, FICE, MIStructE, CEng, FHEA

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • High performance metallic materials and structures for applications in infrastructure and energy sectors
  • Experimental and numerical investigation of structural materials and components
  • Metallic materials for liquid hydrogen (LH2) fuel storage and transportation

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Simon Blainey PhD, FRGS, FHEA, MCIHT, CMILT

Research interests

  • Rail demand and operations modelling
  • GIS and transport
  • Transport decision support systems

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Simon Boxall

Principal Teaching Fellow
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Professor Simon Cox

Head of Department

Research interests

  • My research focusses on computational tools, technologies and platforms and how they enable interdisciplinary problems to be solved in engineering and science.His team in the Computational Engineering and Design Group is applying and developing high performance and cloud computing in a variety of collaborative interdisciplinary computational science and engineering projects. These include:
  • High Performance and novel Computing SystemsCloud Computing and commercial distributed computing - which led to a spin out companyApplied computational algorithms Computational electromagnetics– which led to the formation of a spin-off company.New algorithms such as meshless methods and fast solvers.Data Management Simon is also Director of the Microsoft Institute for High Performance computing where he demonstrates why, where and how current and future Microsoft tools and technologies can be exploited to enable engineering and scientific research to deliver faster, cheaper and better results.
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Professor Sophie Stalla-Bourdillon

Research interests

  • Data Protection
  • Data Governance
  • Platform Regulation
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Dr Stephanie Blankshein PhD

Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Maritime/underwater archaeology
  • Landscape archaeology
  • Prehistory

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Stephanie Jones

Professor of Literature and Law

Research interests

  • Literature and Law
  • Postcolonial and decolonial studies
  • Marine and maritime literatures
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Professor Stephen Boyd BEng, MSc, PhD, CEng, MRINA

Professor

Research interests

  • Maritime Composites
  • Experimental and Numerical mechanics
  • Non-contact full-field techniques for validation of numerical models
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Emeritus Professor Stephen Daley

Research interests

  • Active control of viscoelastic metamaterials
  • Acoustic Black Holes for control of structural vibration and sound radiation
  • Active control of sound and vibration
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Louise Du Toit
Lecturer
Developing strong laws and regulations for decarbonising the shipping sector, which is a growing source of global emissions, is crucial to climate mitigation efforts.
Tahsin Tezdogan
Associate Professor
Driven by a passion for sustainable shipping, I aim to enhance ship efficiency, reducing emissions and pioneering a greener maritime future.

Related research institutes, centres and groups

Related research institutes, centres and groups

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Enquiries

If you're interested in joining us or collaborating, get in touch with the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.